Automatic street-indicator and advertiser.



No. 723,182. I PATENTED MAE. I7, T903.

AUTOMATIC sTEEET INDICATOR AND ADVERTISER. APPLICATION FILED JUIAY 26, 1901.

.I0 MODEL, I I 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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WITNESS/2S El #E 1 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS READER, OF ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN.

AUTOMATIC STREET-INDICATOR AND ADVERTISER.

SPECIFIGATIGN forming part of Letters Patent. No. 723,182, dated March 17, 1903.

` Application tied Juiy 26. 190i.

To LZZ whom it concern: 1

Be it known that I, `'Filion/IAS A. READER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Ann Arbor, in the county of Washtenaw, State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Street-Indicators and Advertisers; and I do declare the following to he a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specicatiou.

This invention relates to an automatic street-indicator and advertiser; and it conl sists in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out particularly in the claims.

The object of the invention is to provide simple andeffcient means, automatic in its operation, which will indicate to the passengers in a car the names of the streets in succession crossed by the car-line and at the same time display advertising matter, the arrange-` ment being such that immediately a street is crossed the name of the succeeding street is displayed,andafurtherarrangementprovides for areversal of the street-indicating mechanism at the end of the line, so that the streets may be correctly indicated upon the return trip- The above object is attained by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation of the operative mechanism embodying my invention, t-he case in which said mechanism is located appearing in section. Fig. 2 is a diagram of a section of the track, showing intersecting streets and a bracket connected with the overhead conductor adapted to supply current to the contact device carried by the trolley-pole to successively operate the street-indicating mechanism. Fig. 3 is a detail in sideelevation, showing a trolley-pole carrying the contactspring and said spring in electrical contact with said bracket, which, together with the overhead conductor, appears in stipple lines. Fig. 4 is a plan view of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal section through the reversin g clutch and gearing.

Fig. 6 is a trans-` serai no. 69,761. No model.)

verse section as on line 6 6 of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a transverse section as on line 7 7 of Fig. 5. Fig. Sis an elevation of the case containing the operative mechanism. Fig. 9 is a detail in section of the jointed shafts carrying the spools upon which the belts having thereon the street-namesand advertising mattei' are mounted.

Referring to the characters of reference, 1 designatesa casingorinclosed fram e, in which the operative mechanism is mounted... In one end of said casing is located a continuouslyoperating electric motorsuitably connected electrically with the motor-circuit of the car. (Not shown.) Upon the shaft 3,0f said motor is a worm 4, which engages a worm-gear 5 on lthe transverse shaft 6, which is journaled in said'frame. Loosely journaled upon the shaft 6 is a beveled gear 7, having an integral clutchhuh S. Also looselyjournaled upon said shaft is an opposed beveled gearing 9, having a clutch hub l0. Interposed between and meshing with both of said gears is a third beveled gear 11, fixed upon the upper end of a screwshaft 12, which is journaled vertically in the frame. Splined upon the shaft 6 is a clutch-sleeve 13, which is adapted to rotate with the shaft and to slide forth and back thereon, so as to bring its ends alternately into engagement with the clutch-hubs 8 and,

l0 of the gears 7 and 9, respectively.` Located adjacent to said gearing are the two opposed electroinagnets llt-and l5, between which is pivoted an armature 16, adapted to be attracted by either of said magnets when energized. Said armature is provided with a yoke 17, Which embraces the clutch-sleeve 13, having a peripheral collar 18, (see Fig. 5,) within which said sleeve revolves and which is pivotally connected with the yoke of the armature by pins 19, so that by an oscillation of said armature said clutch-sleeve is moved upon the shaft 6 to alternately carry it into engagement with the hubs 8 and 10 of the 0pposed gear-wheels. The opposed ends of the clutch-sleeve and the clutch-hubs of the gearwheels are recessed to receive .the coiled ysprings 20, which are located therein and which normally serve to hold said sleeve centrally upon the shaft 6 c quidistant from the hubs of the gear-wheels andV out of engagement therewith.

Made fast to the gear-wheel 9 is a sleeve 21, which is loosely journaled upon the shaft 6, and to the outer end of which is fixed a pinion 22, which meshes with a gear-wheel 23 on the end of a shaft 24, extending longitudinally of the fralne and journaled at its opposite ends therein. Parallel with the shaft 24 andextending on opposite sides thereof are theshafts 25. Looselyjournaled on the shafts 25 at one end are the long spools 26 and 26, carrying the belt or apron 27, adapted to be rolled from one spool to the other and having 'printed thereon the names of the streets, as

indicated at 28. At the opposite end of said shafts are loosely journaled the spools 29 and 29, carrying the belt or apron 30,adapted to be rolled from one spool to the other and having printed thereon suitable advertising matter, as shown at 31. Fixed on one end of the shaft 24 is a gear-wheel 32, which meshes with the pinions 33 and 34, mounted on the ends of the shafts25. l The hub of each of the spools 29 and 29 is provided with va clutch 35 and 36, respectively. Mounted upon each of the shafts 25 between their respective pinions and the hubs of the spools are the clutch-collars 37 and 38, respectively, adapted to alternately engage the clutch-hubs of said spools, respectively. The collars are adapted to slide upon said shafts and to rotate therewith, so that when brought into engagement with the hub of either ot' the spools the'spool whose hub is so engaged is caused to rotate in unison With the rotation of the shaft carrying theengagingclutch-collar. Theoppositeend of the shaft 24 carries a gear-wheel 39, which meshes with the gear-wheels 40 and 41 on the ends of the shafts 25 adjacent to the spools 26 and 26. The spools 26 and 26 are loose upon their respective shafts, and their hubs are provided with clutches 42 and 43, respectively. Adjacent to the clutch-hubs of said spools are the sliding clutch-collars 44 and 45, adapted to rotate with said shafts and toalternately engage the clutch-hubs of said spools, whereby movement to the respective spools is imparted through the engagement of the clutch-collars with the hubs thereof.

Located at one end of the case is alever 46, (see Figs. 1 and 6,) pivoted at its longitudinal center upon studs 47, extending from the frame. The opposite ends of said lever are bifurcated and embrace the sliding clutchcollars 44 and 45, respectively, so that by av movement of said lever upon its pivot said collars are caused to slide in opposite directions upon their respective shafts. In like manner at the opposite end of the frame is pivoted a lever 48, whose opposite ends have av similar engagement with the sliding clutchcollars 37 and 38 and which is adapted to actuate said collars upon their respective shafts by a movement upon its point of pivot. Piv- 1 oted at 49 to the lever 48 is a connecting-rod .lever 46.

opposite sides of the fulcrum of the levers which it connects, the purpose of which Will be hereinafter stated. Y

The electromagnets 14 and 15 are independentlyincluded in a normally open circuit 52, having the terminal contacts 53 and 54. A switch 55 is pivoted at 56 and is adapted to have electrical contact with said terminals 53 and 54. Leading from said switch is a line 57, including a contact device or source of electricity 58, and connected through the line 59 with the cross-Wire 60, uniting the coils of the electromagnets. It will be understood that the closing of the circuit at 58 will throw a current through the' electromagnet 14 when the parts are in the posit-ion shown in Fig. 1 and energize said magnet to attract the armature 16 and carry the clutch 13 into engagement with the hub of the gear 9, thereby imparting movement to said gear and rotating the train of gears driving the shafts 25 to turn the spools upon which are Wound the belts or aprons containing the streets and advertising matter and bring the name of a succeeding street and new advertising matter into view. To disengage the clutch when the mechanism has been driven a sufficient length of time to accomplish the desired result, a fixed cam 61 is mounted on theframe, (see Fig. 7,) which projects into the path of one end of a pivoted lever 62, whose opposite end is pivotally coupled at 63 With a plunger 64, seated in the end of the shaft 12 and supported by a coiled spring 65. The lever 62 is pivoted at 66 upon a stud carried by the gear-Wheel 11. The upper end of the plunger 64 projects through the end of the shaft 12 into the path of the lower end of the armature 16. When the parts are in their normal position, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 5, the plunger is held down by thelower end of the armature. Upon the movement of thearmature in either direction the plunger is released and is immediately forced upward by the spring 65, so as to engage and lock the armature in the shifted position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5. As the gear 11 rotates, the lever 62 is brought into contact with the cam 61 and actuated thereby to depress the'plunger 64, when the armature will be released and the spring 20 will disengage the clutch-sleeve from the hub of either of the gears 8 and 9, thereby stopping the operation of the mechanism. 1t will be understood that the closing of the circuit through the electromagnet is momentarial, leaving the armature free to move after the depression of the plunger 64.

In practice the circuit through the switch 55 is closed by means ofthe spring-contact 58, carried by the trolley-pole, but insulated therefrom and forming a part of the line 59. This spring-contact is adapted to encounter the projecting end of the bracket 67, which is mounted upon the overhead conductor 68 at the intersections of the streets, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The car carrying the indi- IOO IIO

cator passes along the track 69, and at each intersecting street the spring-contact 58 momentarily engages the bracket 67, thereby closing the circuit through the switch 55, so that one of the electromagnets is energized to slide the clutch-collar into contact with the hub of one of the gear-wheels and operate the connected mechanism todisplay the name of the succeedingstreet.

is crossed and the spring-contact 58, carried srs by the trolley-pole, engages the bracket 67 the circuit will be closed through the electromagnet 14, whereby the armature 16 will be successively actuated to carry the clutch-col- H lar 4` into engagement with the hub of the gear-wheels 9, thereby imparting movement through theconnecting-gears to the spools 26 and 29 to wind their respective aprons thereon and display in rotation upon the apron 27 the succeeding streets crossed by the car in` its travel and upon the apron 30 the advertisement, if desired, of some merchant upon the street, the name of which appears in conjunction therewith uponthe apron 27.

At the end of the line or at the terminal of a` loop it is necessary to provide for a reversal of the-spools, so that the streets may be correctlyindicated upon the return trip. Itis also necessary that this operation of revers- `ing the movement ofthe spools shall be automatic to insure its accomplishment at the proper time. To provide for a reversal of the rotation of the spools by the automatic action ofthe apparatus, a screw-collar- 70 is mounted upon the screw-shaft 12. Projecting from said collar is a stud 7l, which is adapted to slide freely on a vertical rod 72, mounted in the frame and passing freely through said stud. Said rod is adapted to move vertically and is pivoted at itsfupper end to a bell-crank1 lever 73, fulcruined on the frame andhaving pivotally attached to its lower end a bar 74, which at its opposite end is pivotally attached to the lever`48. The switch -is also pivotally connected to the bar 74. Mounted upon the vertically-movable rod 72, at opposite ends thereof, are the set-collars 75 and y 76, respectively. These set-collars are so posi- -7l` upon said collar will be carried upward against the set-collar 76, thereby actuating the rod 72 andoperating the bell-crank lever to t pull upon the bar 74 and sw'ing the switchpoint 55 into contact with the line-terminal 53, whereby the circuit through said switch will be closed through the electromagnet 15. Simultaneously with the operation of said With the parts in `the position shown in Fig. 1 each time a street switch the bar 74, which -is connected with the lever 4S, will swing said lever upon its fulcrum and withdraw the clutch-collar 37 from contact with the hub of the spool 29 and swing the clutch-collar 38 into contact with the hub of the spool 29a. At the same time the connectingrod 50, leadingfrom the lever 48 to the lever 46, operates said lever 46 to disengage the clutch-collar 44 from the hub of the spool 26 and carry the clutch-collar 45 into engagement with the hub of the spoo126, whereby the spools 26 and 29 are disconnected and rendered loose upon their shafts, while the spools 26a and 29a are connected with their respective shafts and are caused to rotate therewith. By means of this shifting of the clutches upon the shafts of the spools the aprons are caused to travel in the opposite direction when the circuit is closed through the electromagnet l5 and a reverse movement is im parted to the operative" mechanism through the medin in of the gear-wheel 7, into engagement with the hub of which the clutchcollar 13 is carried whenr said magnet 15 is energized. This direction of movement is maintained until the screw-shaft l2 by its rotation causes the collar thereon to travel downward until the stud 7l 'on said collar engages the lower set-collar on the verticallymovable rod 72 and again actuatessaid rod to carry the switch-point 55 into contact with the terminal 54 and shift the levers 46 and 48,

so as to reverse the clutch-collars carried by` said levers and again change the direction of the rot-ation Aof the spools, which change oc`- cnrs at the other terminal of the line or loop.

It will be observed that the spools upon which the apron or belt 30` is Wound are geared to run faster than the spools carrying the apron 27, as it may be found desirable to run theapron carrying the advertising matter faster than the apron carrying the names of the streets. To allow of this difference in the speed ofthe spools, the shaft-sections carrying the spools 29 and 29 are jointedly united to the remaining portion of the shaft by means of a tenon-joint 77, as shown in Fig. 9, which allows one portion of the shafts 25 to revolve faster than the other.

It is desired that the-names of the streets,

Vas well as the advertising matter, shall be displayed through openings in the inclosing case, asillustrated in, Fig. 8.

Having thus fully set forth my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters' Patent, is-

1. In a device for the purpose set forth, the combination with the continuallymoving driving mechanism, of a normally open electric circuit, a movable indicator carrying the street-names, or other matter thereon, gear- -ing for driving said indicator, means actuated through the closing of said electric circuit for intermittently connecting the driving mechanism with the gearing which drives said in- IOO IIO

dic'ator, and means at each intersecting street for momentarily closing said electric circuit.

2. In a device -for the purpose set forth, the combination with the continuously-moving driving mechanism of a movable indicator, a normally open electric circuit, gearing for driving said indicator, means actuated upon y the closing of said circuit for automatically connecting said driving mechanism with said gearing and disconnecting it therefrom, at predetermined intervals and means for closing said circuit.

In a device'for the purpose set forth, the combination withy a continuously moving driving mechanism, of a movable indicator, gearing for driving said indicator, a clutch device for connecting the driving mechanism with said gearing and disconnecting it therefrom, a normally open electric circuit, means operated through the closing of said circuit for automatically operating said clutch to alternately co'nnect the driving mechanism with said gearing and disconnect it therefrom and means for closing said circuit.

i 4. In a device for the purpose set forth, the combination with a railway-car, a street or station 'indicator carried by said car, gearing for driving said indicator, continuously-operating driving mechanism, a movable clutch connecting the driving mechanism with said gearing, an electromagnet connected with and adaptedto operate said clutch, a normally open circuit for said electromagnet, said circuit including aV contact device carried by the car and'adapted to receive a current to intermittently energize said magnet as the car moves along the track, and a source of electric energy adapted to engage said contact device at each street-crossing.

5. In a device for the purpose set forth, the combination with the driving mechanism, of an indicator carrying thevnames of streets or stations and adapted to move in opposite directions, two sets of gearing for driving said indicator in oppositedirections, means for automatically connecting the driving mechanism with said sets of gearing at intervals and means for automatically changing the direction of the movement of said indicator at any predetermined limit of its movement in either direction.

6. In a device for the purpose set forth, the combination of the separate indicating-belts, or aprons, adapted to successively travel in opposite directions, gearing for driving said apronsindependently, propulsive mechanism for driving the gearing of said indicators normally disconnected therefrom, and means for said clutch, a car carrying said indicator and l operative mechanism and having thereon a contact device adapted to make electrical connection with a source of electricity at each intersecting street and an electric circuit including said contact device and said electromagnet.

8. In a device for the purpose set forth, the combination with a car adapted to travel along a track, of a movable street or station indicator' in said car, gearing fordriving said indicator in opposite directions, reversible propulsive mechanism for imparting movement to said gearing, means for automatically connecting said gearing with said propulsive mechanism and disconnectingit therefrom at intervals, electromagnets having an armature adapted to actuate said connecting and disconnecting means, an electric circuit including said electromagnets and a contact device carried by the car, said contact device adapted to have contact with a source of electricity at predetermined points along the line, means for automatically locking said armature against movement and for releasing said armature from its locked posi-tion.

9. The combination of a car, adapted to travel upon a track, of a street or station indicator adapted to travel in opposite directions 'and carrying the names of the streets, or stations, in succession, gearing for driving said indicator, reversible propulsive mechanism, means for automatically connecting said propulsive mechanism with said gearing and means adapted to be automatically operated at the terminal of the line for changing the propulsive mechanism to operate the indicator in a reverse direction.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS A. READER.

Witnesses:

MARTIN J. OAVANAUGH, DAVID RocKWELL.

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